A Study of the Impact on Selected Patient, Nurse and System Outcomes of Different Staff Mix Alternatives and Work Designs

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between staff mix models comprised of regulated staff (RNs and RPNs), regulated and unregulated staff (RNs and URWs), and nursing and quality outcomes.

It was hypothesized that registered nurses employed in settings with a staff mix comprised of regulated nursing care providers (RNs & RPNs) would report more positive nurse outcomes (e.g. decreased role ambiguity and role conflict, and increased job satisfaction) and quality outcomes (e.g. increased perceptions of the effectiveness of care and increased perceptions of the quality of care provided on the unit) than registered nurses employed in settings with a staff mix comprised of regulated and unregulated nursing care providers (RNs & URWs).

Funding:
Provincial Nurse Administrators Group of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario; and Sigma Theta Tau International, Small Grants Program $4,500.00 (1997)